Report 1504
Report #1504 Skillset: Harmonics Skill: Malefactgem Org: Institute Status: Completed Jul 2016 Furies' Decision: Solution 2. Problem: Malefactgem currently has Impatience as an option, which has been deprecated and must be replaced. Pre-Overhaul, the primary purpose of Impatience, was a way to deal with targets that would focus timewarp under aeon after being Shatterplexed, as an addition to or replacement for (taking advantage of curing priorities) anorexia -> shatterplex -> timequake. 0 R: 0 Solution #1: Replace Impatience with a new option of 'simulation'. Simulation looks exactly the same as a normal malefactgem, but afflicts with nothing, and has half the base balance cost. 0 R: 0 Solution #2: Replace Impatience with a small amount of timewarp. Player Comments: ---on 7/7 @ 15:45 writes: The intent of Solution 1 is that the simulation will fakeout the opponent when they assume asthma, then you can take advantage of that to shatterplex -> timequake. If they aren't fooled, or simply guess right, they cure out of aeon in one action as there is no asthma stopping them. Solution 2 is similar, except the added timewarp is intended to keep them at massive if they are fooled, where if they aren't, they can smoke twice and escape. Also looking for ideas on a third solution. ---on 7/8 @ 01:34 writes: Solution one seems like a novel way of replicating the effect afforded in the past without adding more afflicting power to the ability. Not sure how effective it will be, but I like the concept and the motivation behind the solution. Both solution 1 and 2 seem reasonable and have my support. ---on 7/8 @ 09:56 writes: Support solution 1. This should also replicate any associated affmessages/gmcp changes which may take place too. ---on 7/8 @ 12:27 writes: I'm not a fan of fake gmcp/affliction messages. The intent is to make entry into combat easier, but introducing fake gmcp messages and affmessages is counter to that. I'm not opposed to a 'fakeout' aff, but not at the cost of that. ---on 7/9 @ 03:53 writes: Solution 1 is great and I am not opposed to 2 either. There are no GMCP messages associated with malefact gem but I believe there is an aff message associated with it "You have been afflicted by an unknown affliction." that would need to be replicated for this to take effect properly. ---on 7/9 @ 15:19 writes: Wobou is correct on the 'unknown affliction' affmessage. ---on 7/11 @ 04:42 writes: Remove impatience. No replacement needed. The goal was to "protect" anorexia in the aeon + anorexia combo. That combo is now aeon +asthma, which can be followed with anorexia. Malefactgem can already give the first 2 links of the chain, as it used to. I would just ask impatience be removed. There is already a skill to cast timewarp, and simulation is just to game systems, not serve an offense. Makes more sense to use another skill if the target already has asthma and such. ---on 7/11 @ 04:46 writes: And replacing it with Timewarp as a castable skill in solution 2 doesn't make sense when they already have such a skill...unless it can be applied faster with this balancewise. Downside to that is the current castable Timewarp skill would be rendered less viable as a result. If a replacement for Impatience is needed for solution one, a random mental affliction such as Stupidity would work better. ---on 7/11 @ 05:42 writes: Apologies for the length. Some elaboration on the problem: As it stands, from the point of initiation of the combo, there are three ways to escape the timequake (ignoring for now pre-combo avoidance tactics). 1, cure out before the timequake can be executed. If you assume the masked affliction from the malefactgem is asthma (as it will be the majority of the time), then it takes three actions to escape aeon, and cure timewarp in the process. Sip slush -> eat dust -> smoke steam. Malefactgem -> shatterplex -> timequake takes 4s to execute. 2, opt to shield instead of attempt to cure out, which will take one action assuming you have balance. 3, opt to use green/gedulah to cure the aeon in action at the cost of balance, power and consistency. Generally a last resort method. ---on 7/11 @ 05:42 writes: Method 2 is countered through using paralysis over asthma. Method 3 there is no specific counter, however the inconsistency and power cost are sufficient downsides. Method 1 there is currently no existing counter, especially when considering a variation where smoke steam timewarp focus is utilised. The current solutions add a counter to this, introducing variable options for both the target and the researcher. Impatience was utilised pre-Overhaul more often in fashions similar to the current solutions than to protect anorexia. Impatience also was utilised to synergise with ally abilities, notably throatlock, which the current solutions do not. ---on 7/11 @ 05:43 writes: In regards to Solution 2, malefactgem is faster than timechant timewarp, and the intent is to deliver less timewarp than a timechant, at a faster balance. The longer balance of timechanting would be useless for any shatterplex -> timequake setups. Unfortunately, I am ot able to give specific numbers on the amount of timewarp due to the lack of player-available information here beyond the 4 vague adjectives. As an aside, timechant timewarp is currently useless for any purpose aside from testing. ---on 7/12 @ 02:06 writes: I don't think anyone has discussed the implications of (really fast) trick asthma on group combat. I understand the issue being raised (or as best I can having never played researcher) in 1v1s, but it seems your solution could also create scenarios in group fights where the target is just guessing whether or not you gave the taret asthma or just faked it. In groups, this effectively just tricks people into staying in aeon longer. I am strongly opposed to anything that will create harder to cure aeon scenarios with the justification that aeon is simply too strong to be given that degree of flexibility. Big fat opposed. ---on 7/12 @ 02:10 writes: To be clear, trick asthma for a 1 (ish?) second eq is effectively asthma just half the balance. I don't see how this does anything "tricky," there's no real strategy here. You just fake aasthma, they try to cure it as they would if you gave real asthma, only the researcher recovered in half the time and the target is stuck in aeon without asthma in either scenario. ---on 7/12 @ 02:14 writes: I shouldn't say "stuck in aeon." The target ends the scenario in aeon either way, the only thing that changed is the researcher forced a cure attempt in both scenarios and recoverd twice as fast in the fake one. The target can't wait to watch how fast you regain balance to know how to cure correctly. Aeon prevents any checks, like SMOKE WEED. It just makes no sense to go this route. ---on 7/12 @ 12:37 writes: I don't think that would end up being very significant, as unhindered malefact asthma spam can already do that when factoring in the dust balance, and it would be less impactful than the impatience it is replacing was in groups. ---on 7/13 @ 02:21 writes: Sorry I disagree. This opens the door for things like aeonfield tic, fake asthma, off dust balance for three seconds, and now it's so fast you can give real asthma with just the slightest bit of ping lag while they try to cure aeon. You're right, it's already too easy, and in that context this is just nonsensical. We're just taking aeon problems, and adding fuel to the fire. ---on 7/13 @ 21:08 writes: Could you elaborate on what you mean on the three seconds off dust balance. Malefact asthma can already be readily applied and reapplied, so in that respect, this presents no new tactics. What is your opinion on Solution 2? ---on 7/14 @ 01:50 writes: Does malefact gem have the same balance when targeted towards enemies as it does towards one individual? I believe you can't target a specific effect when using the ENEMIES syntax (or so says the wiki) so I'm failing to see how this will impact groups. ---on 7/14 @ 12:01 writes: Malefact enemies is a 3s balance, and chooses a random affliction per enemy. Individual malefact is 2s and you choose which affliction. I admittedly wasn't thinking about the ENEMIES syntax. Due to the random-per-enemy nature, including simulation should not decrease the balance of the ENEMIES syntax. Including simulation would thus act as a 'spoiler' affliction for the ENEMIES syntax, though that role is filled by clumsiness already. Or it can be excluded. Either is fine, imo. ---on 7/14 @ 23:15 writes: Sorry that was my bad, it's not three seconds. I was typing that too fast! Locked out of dust for 1.5 seconds (or however long the balance is). You consume the balance even if you cure nothing, so that length of time minus the aeon lag. ---on 7/14 @ 23:16 writes: Solution 2 is fine by me. Sorry, should've said that. ---on 7/14 @ 23:19 writes: I'd actually even be okay with changing solution 2 to give timewarp with every malefact attack rather than it being an entirely seperate aff. Like how pyros give a small dose of burns with pyre, etc. ---on 7/16 @ 14:19 writes: Adding timewarp to all Malefact attacks is interesting, though may introduce more problems than it'd solve. ---on 7/17 @ 19:39 writes: I'm not really interested in adding more timewarp to malefact attacks - unless shatterplex gets a cap on how much timewarp is can apply. Being able to build timewarps while building aeonlocks may put the shatterplex/timequake combo into incurable levels.